The use of adhesives is required in many engineering applications in which the bonding of structural elements is necessary. Bonding is a joining technique that is light weight and does not require making holes as other joining techniques such as for example bolting.
In some applications, it is necessary that the joint between structural elements is not only of good shear strength but is also a good electrical conductor. These applications include the following:                In helicopter applications, one may need to run electricity from the pilot control board (usually located inside the cabin) to the engine (located above the cabin). Electrical circuits sometimes run across joints. When bonded joints are used instead of bolted joints, such bonded joints should be electrically conductive.        In Electro Magnetic Interference Shielding (EMI shielding) applications, it is necessary to ensure that there are no leaks of the electromagnetic field across the shield. If joints are present in the shield, these must either be tight or electrically conductive. Bolted joints may or may not be effective for such applications. It should be noted that when non-electrically conductive bonded joints are used, leaking may occur.        For lightning protection purposes, it is necessary to provide conductive shielding. Joints that may be present in such a shield should be conductive to dissipate away electrons.Other applications in which electrically conductive joints are used are automotive components, windmills, etc.        
Adhesives for the above applications are usually made of polymers such as epoxies and polyurethanes, which are not electrically conductive. Efforts have been attempted to increase the conductivity of these adhesives by adding carbon black. However, large amounts of carbon black are required which adds much weight to the adhesive and decreases its shear strength.
Carbon nanotubes are carbonaceous materials, which have received a great deal of interest since the early 1990s. Adhesives containing carbon nanotubes mixed with adhesive resins have been reported.
Bucky paper is a network of carbon nanotubes which can be handled as conventional fiber mats. Bucky paper composites for various applications (such as EMI shielding) including composites made of Bucky papers impregnated with resins have been described.
The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.